Dec 31, 2021

K-State Opens Big 12 Play at Oklahoma on New Year's Day

Posted Dec 31, 2021 10:53 AM


Kansas State (8-3) opens up Big 12 play on Saturday, as the Wildcats travel to Norman, Okla., to face the Oklahoma Sooners (10-2) at 7 p.m., CT at the Lloyd Noble Center. The game will air nationally on ESPNU.

  1. K-State will face Oklahoma in a conference opener for the 15th time since 1924, including just the fourth time (2008, 2009, 2020) in the Big 12 era. The Sooners own a 9-5 record all-time in those matchups, including a 5-1 mark when debuting at home against the Wildcats. Overall, K-State is 54-54 in conference openers, including 18-34 when opening on the road.
  2. The Wildcats' 8 wins have come by an average of 17.9 points, including 6 at home by 21.3 points. The team's losses to No. 13/12 Arkansas (64-72), No. 14/15 Illinois (64-72) and Marquette (63-64) have come by a combined 17 points.
  3. K-State enters Saturday's game on an overall 3-game winning streak after using yet another big first-half run en route to a 74-59 win over McNeese on Dec. 21. The Wildcats trailed by as many 9 points (26-17) against the Cowboys in the first half before an 18-2 run to end the half flipped the momentum and carried the team to as much as a 21-point lead in the second half. Just 2 days earlier on Dec. 19 in the 67-58 win at Nebraska, K-State used a similar 18-2 run to end the half and flip a 10-point deficit (25-15) into a 33-27 lead at the half.
  4. The Wildcats have ended the first half on runs of 9 or more points in 5 wins this season. In addition to the 18-2 runs against Nebraska and McNeese, the team had a 12-3 run against UAlbany and a pair of 24-10 runs against Wichita State and Green Bay. K-State is 8-0 this season when leading at the half.
  5. The backcourt duo of junior Markquis Nowell and Nijel Pack started together for just the second time in the win over McNeese and they showed their tremendous potential, as each scored a game-tying 18 points. Nowell added his second points/assists double-double with 10 assists, while Pack knocked down 4 from beyond the arc for the fourth time in 9 games this season. Along with sophomore Selton Miguel, who came off the bench for a career-tying 17 points, the trio combined for 53 of the 74 points vs. McNeese (12/21/21).
  6. Miguel's 17-point effort vs. McNeese (12/21/21) was his fourth double-digit scoring effort from the bench this season. A year after averaging just 15.1 points per game from the bench, the Wildcats are averaging 22.6 points (249 total points) from their reserves, while posting 9 games of 20 or more points from their bench. The 22.6 points per game average is best through the first 11 games since averaging 26.3 points (289 total points) in the first 11 games of 2012-13.
  7. Nowell, along with fellow transfers, senior Mark Smith and sophomore.


NOTES ON OKLAHOMA

  1. Oklahoma (10-2) enters Saturday on a 3-game winning streak after finishing off the 2021 portion of its schedule with a 72-48 win over Alcorn State at home on Dec. 22. The Sooners' most impressive wins of the season have come against future SEC foes Florida (74-67) on Dec. 1 at home and against Arkansas (88-66) in Oklahoma City on Dec. 11. They are 6-1 at home this season with its lone loss coming to Butler, 66-62, in overtime in the Big East/Big 12 Battle on Dec. 7.
  2. The Sooners are averaging 74.8 points per game on 51.0 percent shooting, including 36.1 percent from 3-point range, while allowing opponents to average 59.3 points on 38.4 percent shooting, including 27.5 percent from long range. The team ranks among the top-35 nationally in 7 categories, including 4 on offense (field goal percentage, scoring margin (+15.4), total assists (202) and assists per game (16.8) and 3 on defense (scoring defense, field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage defense).
  3. Oklahoma is the definition of balance with 5 players averaging 9 or more points led by a pair of double-digit scorers in seniors Tanner Groves (14.3 ppg.) and Umoja Gibson (12.1 ppg.). Groves, a transfer from Eastern Washington, is connecting on 58.8 percent from the field, including 40.5 percent from 3, and 71.4 percent from the free throw line. He is tied with Jalen Hill for team lead in rebounding at 6.0 boards per game. Gibson has a team-leading 32 3-point field goals. Duke transfer Jordan Goldwire, who is averaging 9.8 points per game, is the team leader in both assists (53) and steals (19).
  4. Oklahoma returned just 3 lettermen and 2 starters from last season's NCAA Tournament team and welcomed 10 newcomers in 2021-22.
  5. Oklahoma is led by first-year head coach Porter Moser, who is in his 18th season as a head coach with stints at Little Rock (2000-03), Illinois State (2003-07) and Loyola-Chicago (2011-21). He has won 303 games, including 188 at Loyola. He had 20-win seasons in each of his last 4 years with the Ramblers, including a record-setting 32-win season in which his squad beat K-State, 78-62, in the NCAA South Regional Final to advance to the 2018 Final Four.


SERIES HISTORY

  1. K-State and Oklahoma will meet for the 214th time in their histories with the Sooners holding a 110-103 advantage in a series that dates to 1920. It is the fifth-most played series in school history behind Kansas (295), Missouri (237), Iowa State (233) and Nebraska (220).
  2. The Sooners are 65-28 all-time at home in the series, including a 27-11 mark at the Lloyd Noble Center with 5 wins in the last 6 meetings. The Wildcats have won just once in 6 conference openers against the Sooners in Norman, including a 66-61 setback in the last such meeting on Jan. 4, 2020. The last overall K-State win in Norman came in a 74-61 victory on Jan. 16, 2019.
  3. K-State has won 9 of the last 14 meetings with Oklahoma, which includes a split of the series a season ago with the Sooners winning 76-50 at home on Jan. 19, 2021, before the Wildcats earned a 62-57 victory at home on Feb. 23.
  4. Head coach Bruce Weber is 12-6 all-time against Oklahoma, including a 3-6 mark on the road, while he is 2-1 against Porter Moser. Weber's 2 wins against Moser came while he was at Illinois in defeats of his Illinois State (2004) and Loyola (2011) squad before the loss in the most recent meeting in 2018.


LAST TIME OUT:
K-STATE 74, McNEESE 59

  1. For the second consecutive game, Kansas State used a decisive 18-2 run to end the first half to flip the momentum and carry the Wildcats to a 74-59 win over McNeese on Dec. 21 before 5,223 fans at Bramlage Coliseum in the final game before the holiday break.
  2. K-State has now won 6 of its last 7 games and moved to within one victory of 400 at Bramlage Coliseum, which opened for the 1988-89 season.
  3. Junior Markquis Nowell and sophomores Nijel Pack and Selton Miguel combined for 53 of the Wildcats' 74 points, as Nowell and Pack each scored a game-tying 18 points, while Miguel tied his career-high with 17 off the bench.
  4. The Wildcats showed the effects of their second game in 3 days, as upstart Cowboys broke open a 10-all tie with 7 straight points en route to building a 26-17 lead with 5:52 to play before halftime. However, a driving layup by Nowell seemed to spark the home team, as they scored 12 straight points as part of the larger 18-2 run to end the first half and take a 35-28 lead into halftime.
  5. Just 2 days earlier in a 67-58 win over Nebraska on Dec. 19 in Lincoln, Neb., K-State used a similar 18-2 run to flip a 10-point deficit into a 33-27 lead at the half. The Wildcats are now 8-0 this season when leading at the half.
  6. K-State continued the momentum to start the second half, scoring 12 of the first 16 points in building a 15-point advantage (47-32) with over 15 minutes to play. Twice, the Cowboys closed to within 10 points, including 59-49 with 7:14 remaining, but the Wildcats responded with a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 66-49 with 4:03 to play and end any further rally.
  7. After K-State allowed McNeese to score 26 points in the first 14 minutes, the Cowboys had just 33 in the last 26 minutes between the first and second halves. The Wildcats have now held 6 of 11 opponents this season under 60 points, including in consecutive games for the second time.
  8. Starting together for the second straight game, the backcourt duo of Nowell and Pack showed their tremendous potential, as they each scored a game-tying 18 points, while Nowell registered his second points/assists double-double of the season with a game-high 10 assists. Miguel tied his career-high with 17 points off the bench, as he hit on 6-of-9 field goals, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and went 3-of-4 from the free throw line.


LEADING WITH DEFENSE

  1. K-State has developed a strong reputation as defensive team under head coach Bruce Weber, ranking among the top-60 nationally in opponent points per game 6 times in the 9 seasons.
  2. The Wildcats ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense (59.6 ppg.) during its Big 12 Championship season in 2018-19, while they placed 36th (60.4 ppg.) in 2012-13 and 46th (67.0 ppg.) in 2017-18.
  3. K-State has held 217 opponents (out of 311 total) under 70 points during Bruce Weber's tenure, including a program-best 31 in 2012-13. The Wildcats have also held 109 opponents under 60 points in that span, while 29 have scored less than 50 points in his tenure.
  4. In addition to its scoring defense, K-State has ranked among the top-40 in opponent 3-point field goal percentage 3 times (2013-14, 2015-16 and 2018-19) and among the top-50 in steals on 5 occasions (every season from 2015-16 to 2019-20) in the Bruce Weber era. Twice (2016-17 and 2019-20) the school has ranked the top-45 in opponent turnovers.
  5. The Wildcats have held opponents to under 40 percent shooting in 106 games in the Bruce Weber era, including under 35 percent in 51 games.
  6. K-State struggled mightily across the board during the 2020-21 season, but no more than on defensive end, allowing 80 or more points 7 times in the first 21 games, including allowing 100 or more points in both regular-season games with eventual national champion Baylor. However, the Wildcats were able to win 4 of their last 7 games due to their improved defense, as they held 5 of those 7 opponents under 60 points.
  7. During the last 7 games of the 2020-21 season, the team held their opponents to 59.3 points on 40.6 percent shooting (146-360), including 26.1 percent (36-of-138) from 3-point range.
  8. K-State has started the season off where they left off at the end of the 2020-21 season, as the defense is allowing 59.5 points on 38.3 percent shooting, including 24.6 percent from 3-point range. The Wildcats rank among the top-25 in 4 defensive categories, including fourth in 3-point field goal percentage defense, 24th in scoring defense and 25th in field goal percentage defense.
  9. Since allowing 72 points in back-to-back games vs. No. 13/12 Arkansas (11/22/21) and No. 14/15 Illinois (11/23/21) at the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, the Wildcats have allowed just 55.6 points in the last 7 games. That stretch includes allowing the fewest combined points (85) in consecutive games to North Dakota (11/28/21) and UAlbany (12/1/21) since 2012-13.
  10. K-State has been able to score points off its opponent turnovers (17.6 ppg.) while forcing an average of 14.1 turnovers per game. The Wildcats has scored 20 or more points off turnovers 3 times, including 22 vs. Nebraska (12/19/21).


IMPROVED OFFENSE, BUT WORK CONTINUES FROM 3

  1. The Wildcats are averaging 70.9 points on 44.3 percent shooting, including 33.7 percent from 3-point range, while connecting on 74.1 percent from the free throw line through the first 11 games. The team is averaging 30.7 points in the paint, 22.6 points off the bench, 17.6 points off turnovers, 9.6 fast-break points and 9.1 points on second-chance opportunities.
  2. K-State's offense shines when the Wildcats share the ball, as the team is averaging 73.6 points and 15.8 assists in their 8 wins compared to just 63.7 points and 11.3 assists in their 3 losses. The squad also scored 246 combined points (30.8 ppg.) in the paint in their 8 victories, including 46 vs. North Dakota, which were the most since scoring 50 against Eastern Kentucky in Nov. 16, 2018.
  3. The Wildcats' 3-point shooting strives for consistency, as they made just 22.7 percent (27-of-119) vs. No. 13/12 Arkansas, No. 14/15 Illinois, Wichita State, Marquette and Nebraska, while hitting on43.6 percent (58-of-133) in games vs. Florida A&M, Omaha, North Dakota, UAlbany, Green Bay and McNeese.
  4. The Wildcats were really clicking offensively in the 79-64 win over Omaha (11/17/21), as the team connected on 52.8 percent (28-of-53) from the field, including 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from the 3-point line, and hit on 87.5 percent (14-of-16) from the free throw line. The squad hit 50 percent or better from the field in each half for the first time since the Milwaukee game (12/21/20).
  5. K-State played even better offensively against North Dakota (11/28/21), hitting on 60.3 percent (35-of-58) from the field, including 69 percent (20-of-29) in the second half, to post their first 80-point game since January 2020. It marked the first time that the Wildcats had shot better than 60 percent since hitting on 62.5 percent (35-of-56) against Alabama State on Dec. 11, 2019.


IMPROVED DEPTH/EXPERIENCE

  1. It has been well chronicled how young the Wildcats were during the 2020-21 season, as only 11 Division I schools were less experienced than K-State with only Auburn and Duke less experienced among teams in the Power 6. The 11 underclassmen were the third-most of any Power 6 school, while the 3 upperclassmen were the fourth-fewest. In addition, K-State was one of 10 schools to start at least 3 true freshmen in one game with trio of Davion Bradford, Selton Miguel and Nijel Pack starting in 17 of the team's 29 games.
  2. K-State is hoping that the return of 9 of 14 lettermen, including senior Mike McGuirl and sophomores Bradford, Miguel and Pack, as well as the influx of 7 newcomers, including 3 transfers in Ish Massoud (Wake Forest), Markquis Nowell (Little Rock) and Mark Smith (Missouri) will lead to improved play.
  3. The Wildcats have used at least 8 players in each of the first 11 games with all 8 those players totaling double-digit field goals made and 7 averaging nearly 6 points per game, including a pair of double-digit scorers (Pack and Nowell).
  4. K-State is averaging nearly 22.6 points per game from its bench this season, including 28-point efforts against No. 13/12 Arkansas and No. 14/15 Illinois. The team has scored 20 or more bench points in 9 of 11 games. The 249 bench points are the most through the first 11 games since the 2012-12 season.
  5. Before joining the starting lineup 5 games ago, Nowell had provided a spark off the bench, averaging 11.7 points in the first 6 games, while Miguel has been that spark of late with 4 of his 5 double-digit scoring games coming off the bench, including tying his career-high with 17 points vs. McNeese.


IMPROVED FREE THROW SHOOTING

  1. Again, it's a small sample size with just 11 games, but so far, K-State has taken care of its opportunities from the free throw line, connecting on 74.1 percent (137-of-185) from the charity stripe, which ranks third in the Big 12.
  2. That percentage was even better in its 3-game stretch vs. Omaha, No. 13/12 Arkansas and No. 14/15 Illinois, as the Wildcats hit on 81.3 percent (39-of-48) during that stretch, including 78.1 percent (25-of-32) in the games against the Razorbacks and Fighting Illini.
  3. Five players (Nijel Pack, Markquis Nowell, Ish Massoud, Selton Miguel and Mike McGuirl) are hitting on better than 70 percent from the free throw line, as Massoud (14-of-14) has been perfect so far.
  4. The Wildcats shot just 66.4 percent from the free throw line in 2020-21, while they haven't connected on better than 70 percent from the line since hitting on 73.4 percent as a team in 2017-18.
  5. The Wildcats shot just 66.4 percent from the free throw line in 2020-21, while they haven't connected on better than 70 percent from the line since hitting on 73.4 percent as a team in 2017-18.


TURNOVER LOW

  1. K-State turned the ball over just 4 times in the loss to No. 14/15 Illinois, which tied 5 others for the third-fewest in a game in school history and fewest since also registered 4 turnovers in a win over Gonzaga on Dec. 21, 2013. It tied the 2013 Gonzaga contest for the fewest turnovers in the Bruce Weber era.
  2. The Wildcats have also had single digits turnovers twice in the last 5 games, including 7 vs. Wichita State (12/1/21) and 8 vs. Green Bay (12/12/21).


PACK OFF TO STRONG START

  1. Although he missed 2 games due to a concussion, sophomore Nijel Pack is still off to an impressive start to the 2021-22 season, as he has led or have been tied for the team lead in scoring in 6 of his 9 games played, including an 18-point performance in the opener vs. Florida A&M, 15 vs. Omaha, 14 vs. No. 12/13 Arkansas, 17 vs. UAlbany, 15 vs. Nebraska and 18 vs. McNeese.
  2. Pack is averaging a team-best 14.9 points on 48.5 percent (48-of-99) shooting, including 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from 3-point range, to go with 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 27.4 minutes per game. He is the leader in scoring, double-digit scoring games (8) and 3-point field goals (25).
  3. Pack ranks among the Big 12's top-10 in 4 categories, including second in 3-point field goals per game (2.78), third in 3-point field goal percentage and sixth in scoring and seventh in field goal percentage.


MOVING TOWARDS 500

  1. Head coach Bruce Weber is working towards a coaching milestone, as he is 9 wins away from earning 500 in his career. He enters Saturday's game with a 491-288 (.629) record in 24 years as a head coach at Southern Illinois (1998-2003), Illinois (2003-12) and K-State (2012-21).
  2. If Weber were to achieve the milestone in 2021-22, he would be among elite company as only 26 current Division I coaches have reached 500 wins in their career with Herb Sendek (Santa Clara) just ahead of him with 499 victories.


HOPING FOR BETTER INJURY LUCK

  1. K-State is hoping for better luck on the injury front in 2021-22 after injuries were a major factor in the 2020-21 season, as 9 players combined to miss 75 games, which caused head coach Bruce Weber to start 3 true freshmen (Davion Bradford, Selton Miguel and Nijel Pack) a combined 71 times, which ranked second nationally to Kentucky.
  2. Only one other Division I team (Long Beach State) had more players miss time due to injuries in 2020-21.
  3. Although that luck has been tested early with big man Seryee Lewis going down with a season-ending knee injury in the preseason, along with injuries slowing down the progress made by junior Carlton Linguard, Jr., and freshman Maximus Edwards. Pack missed games against Wichita State and Marquette due to a concussion but returned against Green Bay.


McGUIRL UTILIZES EXTRA SEASON

  1. K-State received some good news on March 23 when senior Mike McGuirl announced that he was utilizing his extra season and returning to the Wildcats for the 2021-22 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA announced in October that they had agreed to grant players an additional year of eligibility.
  2. An All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, McGuirl is coming off solid senior season in 2020-21, in which, he either led or was tied for the team lead in 12 categories, including points, field goals, 3-pointers, assists and steals. He was second in scoring (11.8 ppg.) to freshman teammate Nijel Pack.
  3. McGuirl's 20 double-digit scoring games doubled his entire career total (10) that he had entering the 2020-21 season. He opened the season with his first career 20-point game vs. Drake on November 25 with 22 points then equaled it against Fort Hays State on December 8, while he had a team-high 19 points in the upset of No. 7/8 Oklahoma on February 23. Of his 705 career points, 542 have come in the last two seasons in 58 games played with 49 starts (9.3 ppg.).
  4. The only player to start all 29 games, McGuirl showed his versatility by leading the Wildcats in scoring a team-best 11 times, while he also paced the team in rebounding 4 times, in assists 14 times and in steals on 10 occasions. He led the team in scoring (16), rebounding (9) and assists (5) in the win over TCU on February 20, a win which started the team's late surge to end the season (four wins in the last 6 games).


THE 'CATS INK 3 HIGH-PROFILE TRANSFERS

  1. K-State got an infusion of experience with the addition of 3 high-profile Division I transfers in fifth-year Mark Smith (Missouri), junior Markquis Nowell and sophomore Ismael (Ish) Massoud (Wake Forest). All 3 took advantage of the new transfer rules and are immediately eligible in 2021-22.
  2. Like McGuirl, Smith earned a second senior season due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and will bring 100 games of experience to the court after playing at Illinois (2017-18) and Missouri (2018-21). Nowell, who was a Lou Henson All-American at Little Rock, averaged double figures in each of his three seasons as a Trojan. Massoud played in all 53 games of his Wake Forest career, averaging 8.3 points per game as a sophomore in 2020-21.
  3. The transfers presumably fill the Wildcats' greatest need from the 2020-21 season, which was a lack of production from the 3-point line. The team ranked 319th (out of 340 teams) in 3-point field goal percentage (29.6), while they were 126th in total 3-point field goals made (191) and 243rd in 3-point field goals per game (6.6). The trio have combined for more than 400 triples (424) in their respective careers on 36.1 percent shooting.
  4. The trio made their impact in the first 11 games with Massoud and Smith each starting every game, while Nowell has starts in each of the last 5 games. They have combined for 329 points (29.9 ppg.) on 41 percent (112-of-273) shooting with 179 rebounds (16.3 rpg.) and 78 assists (7.1 apg.). Nowell has scored in double figures in 8 games, including a pair of points/assists double-doubles, while Massoud has 5 double-digit scoring games. Smith has 3 double-doubles in the last 7 games and is the team's leading rebounder (7.9 rpg.).


A QUICK LOOK AT K-STATE

  1. K-State returns 9 lettermen, including 4 players (Davion Bradford, Mike McGuirl, Selton Miguel and Nijel Pack) who registered starts during its COVID-19 challenging 2020-21 campaign, which resulted in the Wildcats' second consecutive non-winning season at 9-20 overall and 4-14 in Big 12 play. In addition to these 4 players, the team will get back the services of several key lettermen, including juniors Kaosi Ezeagu and Carlton Linguard, Jr., sophomores Luke Kasubke and Seryee Lewis and walk-on Drew Honas.
  2. The biggest headliner from the returners might be McGuirl, who opted to return for an extra season in 2021-22 after his senior season was hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. He earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors in 2020-21 after leading the Wildcats in 12 categories, including points (342), double-digit scoring games (20), field goals (112), 3-point field goals (60), assists (103), steals (30) and minutes (34.3).
  3. The freshmen trio of Bradford, Miguel and Pack had to grow up fast in their first season, starting together in 17 games with 12 of those coming in Big 12 play. The 71 combined starts by the three true freshmen in 2020-21 ranked second nationally only to Kentucky (72). The three combined to average 25.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.0 steals in 2020-21, as Pack (12.7 ppg.) became the first true freshman to lead the Wildcats in scoring since 2013-14. Bradford (7.7 ppg.) and Miguel (7.2 ppg.) were fourth and fifth in scoring.  
  4. Ezeagu started early on for K-State before an injury forced him to miss 10 games. He returned in mid-January as mostly a reserve, averaging 5.2 points on 67.7 percent (21-of-31) in his last 10 games. Linguard and Lewis each showed flashes in their first seasons, playing in 17 and 18 games, respectively, while Kasubke recovered from a preseason injury that forced him to miss the first 13 games to be a key contributor in the final 16 games.


UP NEXT: 17/18 TEXAS (10-2)

  1. K-State returns home on Tuesday night to face No. 17/18 Texas (10-2) at 6 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. The Longhorns have won 4 straight heading into its home game with West Virginia (11-1) on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.
  2. Texas, under first-year head coach Chris Beard, is averaging 72.1 points per game on 47.4 percent shooting and has 7 players averaging better than 7.3 points per game led by transfer Timmy Allen's 11.9 scoring average.
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